The American Black Film Festival (ABFF) is an annual event that is dedicated to showcasing film and television content by people of African descent.
“It has allowed me to show my love of ‘all things Black,’ by curating experiences that promote our culture and support young creative people who are now changing the world,” says Jeff Friday, ABFF Ventures CEO.
The annual American Black Film Festival ABFF honors was hosted Feb. 26, 2018. The honors brought out the best of the best from Black film and TV. The ceremony was hosted by actor and comedian Cedric the Entertainer at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles. The evening began with red carpet arrivals and followed with an elegant dinner where awards and special honors are presented. With so many great works being represented and honored, it was a night dedicated to camaraderie for Black actors in the industry.
The major honors of the night included director Ava DuVernay with the Industry Visionary Award, legendary actor Billy Dee Williams with the Hollywood Legacy Award, comedian Tiffany Haddish with the Rising Star Award, actor Omari Hardwick with the Distinguished ABFF Alumni Award and the writer and cast of “Martin” (Martin Lawrence, Tichina Arnold, Tisha Campbell, Carl Payne II, Bentley Kyle Evans) received the Classic Television Award. Industry notables like Regina Hall, Lena Waithe, Armie Hammer and Snoop Dogg presented the awards to the honorees.
Both “Black-ish” and “Insecure” were announced as Television Show of the Year in the comedy category; Ava DuVernay accepted the award for Television Show of the Year in the drama category for “Queen Sugar.” Jordan Peel’s Get Out won Movie of the Year. Grammy-winning artist Charlie Wilson rounded out the night with a lively performance accompanied by The Adam Blackstone Band.
We can expect to hear big things at next year’s ABFF honors awards regarding two 2018 historic films. Both Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther and DuVernay’s A Wrinkle in Time are highly anticipated to be in the running for Movie of the Year. ABFF will celebrate its 22nd film festival June 13-17 in Miami.
